LOL! Nice theatrical effects. The take away for the audience is don’t play with your wienie and cheap neon testers in the vicinity of high voltage transformers, but if you do, it ist much besser if you haff a good Cherman tester und maybe a bratwurst.
But my dad gave me similar advice as yours albeit after my experiments with AC house outlets at age ten. Wienies were NOT involved. I did manage to achieve a brief but satisfying arc by using my dad’s treasured small Sears Craftsman insulated screwdriver and somehow bridged the gap of the outlet. Like Toad and the motorcar my wonder at the bright crackling spark and attendant darkness shoved aside the memory of the practical details of the experiment. But, oh the results!
Fifty seven years later that red screwdriver is still in my tool box, one corner missing but with a blob of molten still attached. Some younguns might have learned something from my tales. I suspect their take away was get tid of the evidence and deny, deny, deny.
Wonderful story! It sounds like something I would have done, had my dad had electronical tools around. He just had carpenterial stuff, and some electrician’s tape.
Having been banned from electrical experimentation, I branched out into chemical peculiarities.
Like, blackpowder and aluminum powder sparkler explosions.
The added bonus being that the backyard was always clear of weeds during that time.
And of everything else.